Episode 15 "Slip Away"

LaDonna’s had it with her bar and she flees to Baton Rouge. Albert’s had it with red tape and he’s packing for Houston. Delmond’s had it with antiseptic music and he plays Jelly Roll Morton at The Blue Note. Toni’s had it with pro bono work and she’s going to only work her paid cases. The whole damn city has had it with the violence and they take to the streets. Janette, it seems, was just the first of many who decide that enough is enough. This episode was written by Mari Kornhauser and directed by Rob Bailey.

The cold open was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen on TV. Dinerral’s funeral, with his family there, community members, and musicians like Kermit Ruffins, Uncle Lionel, John Boutte, and Glen David Andrews was just heartbreaking. Details like someone calling out, “take your time,” to Dinerral’s sister as she breaks down during the eulogy make a scene like that so specific. Of course it was specific, because there really was a Dinerral who was shot and killed, and that knowledge makes it that much more devastating. (I had the opportunity to speak with Glen David Andrews by phone, and I’ll post that interview later. But here I want to mention that he said that the funeral scene is hard to watch and was hard to recreate because of what the family had to endure to do it. But he said that doing the funeral scene was also a blessing because he didn’t die in vain. “I’d rather be with Dinerral, though,” he said. The scene was capped off by Glen raising his trombone, followed by all the other musicians raising their instruments as the casket was put in the hearse. It was sad, triumphant, despairing, and beautiful all at the same time. This episode was the first where I felt jarred by that bouncy theme song kicking in.

Sofia has to endure one of those assemblies where an administrator tells everyone to go talk to someone if they need help because of the recent teacher’s suicide, but nobody’s going to go to a school counselor or teacher. When she exits and a teacher expresses sympathy because it must be “especially hard” for her, she’s confused and then intrigued. Her hair is messy and her affect flat.

Albert gets busted because the repairs he’s done are considered “new work” and he doesn’t have the correct permits. He’s understandably livid, because he’d have to pay a plumber to inspect his work when it’s clear it’s just fine. Later on, he finds out that his Road Home application was bounced because his wife Lorraine was on the deed. He shouts that he had written on the application that she was deceased. Classic bureaucracy.

Toni’s going to have plenty to do with her civil suit now that the “Danziger 7” have turned themselves in, so she’s going to stop working on the Abreu case so she has time for cases that pay. She finally confronts Sofia about going AWOL, but Sofia responds that she’s not doing anything she’s not supposed to and, “I’m not lying to you!” Which of course is exactly what Toni has done by not telling her the full story of her father’s death.

Janette finds that she’s the talk of the town when she goes to Tom Colicchio to apologize for what she did to Alan Richman (evidently he was the one who vouched for her to Brulard) and is surprised to find that he recommends she go talk to Eric Ripert because he’s Buddhist and into forgiveness. She does, and she’ll start at the bottom and work her way up, but she’s glad just not to be persona non grata, and she’s warmly welcomed on her first day. Word has gotten all the way to New Orleans, and Davis sends her all the Sazerac ingredients she might want for the forseeable future—on Aunt Mimi’s credit card against future profits on the sampler.

Speaking of, Don tells them they have nothing that can go national, and they have a bizarre encounter with Mannie Fresh in a phone interview. He agrees to give them a track. Hidalgo and Liguori get even more blatant about their insider dealing in the corner office, and Sonny must have made it back to the second half of that Christmas gig because he’s still in the band. He’s even finding a groove.

Annie finds that songwriting is hard; “that’s why the world is full of players,” says Harley. She writes a lovely tune and the lyrics could be about Sonny. There’s something about it, and Davis won’t let Red tell her what it is. Harley will, though, and drops the bomb that it’s Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice.” “At least you’re stealin big,” he says.

LaDonna gets freaked out by the crush of young men in her bar (anyone who’s run that kind of gauntlet before can immediately recognize that gross, panicky feeling, but it’s to the Nth degree for LaDonna) and she self medicates with alcohol. She tries to keep that smile on, but she has to run to the bathroom to throw up. She leaves Johnny in charge and bolts. In Baton Rouge later, she tells her mother, “the bar can mind itself.” She can’t get out of bed in the morning.

There’s a beautiful, beautiful scene in which Janette goes to Del’s set at The Blue Note, and he goes all Jelly Roll on everybody. She breaks out her white napkin and dances, to the chagrin and then delight of Del’s NY girlfriend. Rob Brown is now trying on some vocals for size! Del’s still looking for that sound that “got mud all over it,” and it’s a huge step to take that search public. The thing is, this type of scene shows that at this point in time it’s easy to love New Orleans—from far away. It’s much harder for those right in it. My heart broke to see Albert packing up that U-Haul. Big Chief, of all people.

We’re given an entry point to Helen Hill’s murder through Colson. He has long moments walking in and looking around. Homicide thinks it was the husband, but Colson knows better, and even shows them that not far away there was a burglary call for the police less than 20 minutes before. For “not carrying water” for Toni anymore, he sure looked like her as he went around trying to convince his higher ups to investigate properly.

This murder, along with Dinerral’s, was the final straw leading to a march against violence. The last time there was one, it was a couple of hundred white activists. This time it was both white and black marchers, and the numbers were much larger. I felt the filming was a bit cheesy, setting the marches up as if there’s going to be a conflict, but then they merged. It felt kind of “Sharks vs. Jets” to me. But clearly at the time no one really knew what was going to happen. Colson is tickled pink.

Moments are a collection of quotes this week:

“There’s nothing TO say.”

“The drink AND the glass, or just the drink?”

“It felt right.”

“It’s the MUSIC business.”

“…a 9 piece band with 54 fucking pieces!”

“Follow me or die tryin’, fellas.”

“I don’t like Atlanta, I LOVE New Orleans!”

Okay, one that’s not a quote–Wendell Pierce’s smile as Antoine works the females in the crowd.

We knew that some of these threads would be handled this year, but to be honest, I expected them to be toward the end of the season. To have the march in the 5th episode of Season 2 follows the strict chronology that’s been set up, but it makes me anticipate the second half even more. It seems like all the balls are in the air now (or all the chess pieces in position, choose your metaphor), it’s just a matter of how they fall. Given the lyrics of Annie’s song, and her discovery that Sonny was telling the truth, is Davis’ heart going to get broken again if she goes back to Sonny? I’m starting to wonder about this and a host of other things. I’m SO afraid something awful is going to happen to Antoine Batiste and the Soul Apostles. There are still some surprises yet to spring on us, of that I’m certain.